The Controversy of SOPA and PIPA

The Natalee Holloway Case

In the early hours of May 30, 2005, Natalee Holloway was seen leaving a nightclub on the tiny Caribbean island of Aruba in the company of several men. This was the last time anyone saw her alive. On January 12, 2012 an Alabama judge declared her legally dead; she would have been 25 this past October. There is very little known about what actually transpired in Aruba seven years ago. A Dutch man, Joran van der Sloot, was arrested but never charged in connection to Natalee’s disappearance. He was one of several men to exit the night club with Natalee, but after that point, the facts become muddied. Continued on page 4

Photo Courtesy of ww.westernskycommunications.com/

As we progress further into the 21st century, the influence and resources of the Internet only contin-ue to expand. With this expansion of technology, there has been an in-crease in online piracy and copyright infringement. The most effected from this illegal activity are the music and movie industries. The United States govern-ment has now decided to take action against piracy. The introduction of SOPA and PIPA are attempts to di-minish copyright infringement by targeting large search engines, like Google, that link people to foreign websites that illegally provide streaming and downloading of media. These bills have been met with much controversy. Despite sup-port from major figures like the Mo-tion Picture Association of America and the Chamber of Commerce, op-position has come from many of the biggest Internet companies and users. Acts of protest have included a brief shutdown of Wikipedia and open op-position of the bills shown on Continued on page 5

By Lillian Fitzmaurice

By Kyle Lundin

Featured Articles:

Pre-Law Club News: The LSAT Breakdown with

Kaplan Test Prep p. 3

Domestic Law: Illinois Supreme Court to Allow Cameras in Circuit

Courts p. 5-6

International Law:

Knox’s Parents Face Legal Problems

p. 7 EU Levies Further Sanctions

Against Iran p. 8

Consequences of 21st Century Titanic

p. 9

Opinions: The Fine Line of Intellectual Property and the Internet p.

10

Entertainment: Game Change Reveals

Backstage Tensions During 2008 Election

p. 11 Sudoku p. 12

Cartoon Lawyers p. 12

On May 12, 2011 and October 26, 2011, the Protect Intellectual Prop-erty Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), respectively, were introduced to the legislature. The House of Representatives debated on SOPA and the Senate took PIPA.

Volume 1, Issue 3

THE GAVEL The Official Publication of the University of Illinois Pre– Law Club

Find us at www.illinoisprelaw.com

February 2012

1

A l e t t e r f r o m t h e e d i t o r

The GAVEL

Editor-in-Chief Maria Zyskind

Layout/Design Editors

Allison Gerns Erjing Cui

Section Editors

Andrea Sinele… International Law Anna Choi….. Entertainment

Becky Bradshaw… Copy Editor Rebecca Kaplan… Copy Editor

Christopher Lowery… Law News Dan Szczesny… Sports Law

Jordan Morris.. Pre-Law Club News Lillian Fitzmaurice…. Domestic Law

Megan Gil…. Domestic/International Law

Featured Writers

Featured Writers

Pre-Law Club Executive Board President: Neil Vohra

Vice President: Iga Cyganczuk Secretary: Dan Coultas

Special Programming Internal: Kate Trader Special Programming External: Ann He

Membership/ Public Relations: Stephanie Gilbert

Treasurer: Dan Szczesny Webmaster: Stephanie Chiarelli

Gavel Editor: Maria Zyskind

Pre-Law Club Honors Executive Board:

Co-President: Meghana Joshi Co-President: Kate Poorbaugh

Secretary: Sean Peters Treasurer: Tabitha Atkin

Special Programming: Anna Mangia Exec Pro Temp: Meagan Leonard

Philanthropy Chair: Katie Clausing Membership Chair: Michelle Bolos

Lillian Fitzmaurice Jordan Morris Matt Fishman Becky Bradshaw

Kyle Lundin Gwendalyn Lavigne Christopher Lowery

Dear Gavel Readers,

Welcome back to school! I hope you have all enjoyed your win-ter breaks and are geared up for an exciting semester. As classes get busier, I hope you take time to relax. After all, law school will soon follow for many of us here. The Gavel is here to help provide you with useful information as you go on your way in your legal careers. Pre-Law Club has been working hard to bring you a host of ex-citing social events, speakers, and trips. Our hope is that you gain an inside look into the legal profession from experienced professionals. Additionally, Pre-Law Club has social events and a pre-professional barn dance in the works for this semester! The start of 2012 has brought with it a swarm of news stories, and Gavel members have been busy writing. Our aim is to pro-vide you with interesting, up-to-date information. We are excit-ed to introduce this issue containing a variety of topics in law, ranging from EU Sanctions on Iran to developments of SOPA and PIPA. Our goal is to always give you valuable knowledge about the field of law in an engaging format. As we are always looking to improve The Gavel to please our readers, we have a special issue coming. Next month, get ready for our campaign issue! Sincerely, Maria Zyskind Editor-in-Chief

2

Are you interested in writing for The Gavel?

Contact mzyskind@gmail.com for more information.

At Pre-Law Club’s February 1st meeting, Kaplan representatives, Dwight Steward and Alexis Dyschkant, came and gave an overview of the LSAT and the different Kaplan courses available to students. Alexis Dyschkant gave students an overview of the test. The LSAT is made up of two portions: the quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative part makes up two thirds of the test. It consists of an applicant’s LSAT score (weighted 60% in the quantitative category) and GPA

(weighted 40% in that category). The qualitative is made up of a student’s extracurricular activities, resume, and personal statement. Some people wonder why the LSAT is such a big deal. Interestingly, Dyschkant stated that it is a great predictor of how one will do in law school. The LSAT is out of 180, with an average score being around 151. Scoring is done on a bell curve. In addition, the LSAT only has 100 questions scored, as the experimental section is un-scored. Law schools care about

percentiles. A student who scores in the 70th percentile only needs to get 66 questions correct on the test. A 159 places an applicant in the 80th percentile, with 71 correct answers. Meanwhile, 164 gets an applicant to the 90th percentile. Thus, a person scoring in the 70-80th percentiles, scored above 30,000 other LSAT test takers. The LSAT is an important factor as it also determines how much money a student will receive from law schools.

Pre-law club News

3

The LSAT Breakdown with Kaplan Test Prep By Maria Zyskind

3

Pre-law Club Profile: Alexis Dyschkant

Pictured is Alexis Dyschkant addressing students at a Pre-Law

Club meeting. Dyschkant is a Kaplan representative and instructor, who is

teaching Kaplan’s LSAT Extreme course that starts in late February.

Dyschkant received her J.D. in International Human Rights law and

has a Ph.D. in Legal and Moral Philosophy.

Photo Courtesy of Allison Gerns

Continued from front page Van der Sloot claimed that he had left her on the beach drunk and that was the last he had seen of her. The legal declaration of Natalee Holloway’s demise comes in concert with the sentencing of Joran van der Sloot in another international murder mystery. One day after Natalee was declared dead in Alabama, Van der Sloot was slapped with a 28-year prison sentence in Peru. Whether or not he played a direct role in the disappearance of Natalee, in which he is highly

“The Natalee Holloway Case”: 1. Gates, Verna. (2012, January 12). Alabama judge declares Natalee Holloway dead. Reuters, Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/12/us-death-alabama-holloway-idUSTRE80B22V20120112 2. CNN. (2012, January 12). Natalee Holloway declared legally dead. Retrieved from http://articles.cnn.com/2012-01-12/justice/justice_alabama-natalee-holloway_1_sloot-dave-holloway- van-der?_s=PM:JUSTICE 3. Scott, Cathy. (2012, January 14). The Jig Is Up: Joran Van Der Sloot Gets 28 Years... And A New Prison Home. Forbes, Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/crime/2012/01/14/the-jig-is-up-joran-van-der-sloot-gets-28-years-and-a-new-prison/ 4. Curry, Colleen. (2012, January 13). Joran Van Der Sloot Gets 28 Years in Peru, Now US Wants Him. ABC News, Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/joran-van-der-sloot-28-years-now-us/story?id=15353765#.Ty7vNFy0xTJ

suspected, there is little doubt in the Peruvian case. On May 31, 2010, Van der Sloot met 21-year-old Stephany Flores at a casino. Later that night he strangled her to death in his hotel room. Other than finding the body in Van der Sloot’s hotel room, the prosecution also has a confession under its belt: “Yes, I want to plead guilty. I wanted from the first moment to confess sincerely.” Van der Sloot said in court, “I truly am sorry for this act. I feel very bad.” Prosecutors asked for a 30 year prison sentence for first degree murder and theft. For a Peruvian court it is considered a fairly stern decision. However, due to several Peruvian laws, Van der Sloot could get out after serving half his allotted 28 years. In conjunction with his sentencing in Peru, Van der Sloot is also wanted in Alabama court for attempted extortion of the Holloways. Prosecutors say he attempted to solicit $250,000 from the Holloway family in exchange for providing information about what happened to their daughter and where to find the body. The U.S. District Attorney in Birmingham and the Holloways are keen to see Van der Sloot tried in a U.S. court; previously stating that they had

Photo Courtesy of AOL News

talked to Interpol about having Van der Sloot extradited to the United States. While the legal declaration of the death of Natalee Holloway is sobering news for the entire Holloway family and those connected to the case, it does in some respects offer a sense of closure. It allows her affairs to be put in order. Joran van der Sloot is yet to be tried or formally charged with anything in relation to the Holloway case, but the recent development in his murder trial in Peru has fueled the budding sense of closure amongst the Holloway family. However, as stated by Dave Holloway, Natalee’s father, “this is something you never get over.”

Domestic law

4

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

Pictured above: Van der Sloot after he was arrest-ed.

Pictured: Natalee Holloway

Continued from front page

Google’s homepage. The impact of this opposi-tion has been far reaching. Some Republicans in the Senate have already withdrawn their support of PIPA. Both the House and Senate have decided to stall voting on their respective bills. President Obama’s administration has spo-ken openly against major compo-nents of SOPA and PIPA. What came as a major shock to the online community was the shutting down of the web-site Megaupload, a major online video streaming site. Several peo-ple linked to the site have been charged for crimes related to cop-yright infringement. Amongst this conflict, there still remains the issue of how to solve online piracy. Inter-net companies agree that some-thing needs to be done about cop-yright infringement. One of the arguments that has been made states that Internet companies need to be included in legislative talks. One problem the legislators see, however, is that the methods suggested by the companies are not severe or effective enough to combat the issue. SOPA and PIPA are not eliminated from legislation. De-bate has been halted, and voting has not taken place yet. Yet, both the House and Senate have not

The Illinois Supreme Court announced on Tuesday, Jan-uary 24, 2012 that cameras will be allowed in Illinois’ twenty-three circuit courts if a chief judge’s application is approved by the Su-preme Court. If approved, mem-bers of the news media must elec-tronically apply to cover certain cases. Prior to the announcement,

“The Controversy of SOPA and PIPA”: “Copyrights and Internet Piracy (SOPA and PIPA Legislation)” 2012 (NY Times). “H.R.3261 -- Stop Online Piracy Act (Introduced in House - IH) ” 2012 (The Library of Congress). “Bill Text 112th Congress (2011-2012)” 2012 (The Library of Congress).

Illinois was one of fourteen states that disallowed cameras in trial courtrooms, according to the Ra-dio Television Digital News Asso-ciation. As Illinois Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride indicated, cover-age of the court room can act as a check on the court’s power by making the workings of elected officials, such as State’s Attor-neys, visible to the public. “If we don’t have cameras in courtrooms, it’s left up to shows like Law & Order to give the public an im-pression of what is going on in the judiciary,” stated Al Tompkins, a senior faculty member at the Poyner Institute. Circuit court judges are not required to imple-ment the “pilot project.” Only reputable members of news media are allowed to pho-tograph or record trial proceed-ings. That is, bloggers and unprofessional individuals are prohibited from taking pictures or

Photo Courtesy of www.burlesonisd.net/

Illinois Supreme Court to allow

Cameras in Circuit Courts

Domestic law

By Jordan Morris

5

dropped the bills. Online piracy remains a point of contention and cooperation between the Internet companies, government, and entertainment industries.

Photo Courtesy of Free Court Dockets

Megaupload was one of the recent piracy sites to be

shut down.

taping such proceedings. More restrictions are to be implemented. Potential jurors can-not be photographed. Recording devices are not permitted in cases involving “juveniles, divorces, child custody and evidence sup-

“Illinois Supreme Court to Allow Cameras in Circuit Courts”: “Illinois supreme court gives ok for cameras in trial courts” 2012 (Illinois Statehouse News).

Domestic law

6

Announcements

pression.” Further, only two tele-vision cameras and two photo-graphic cameras are authorized to be in the courtroom simultaneous-ly. Confidential informants, suf-ferers of violent felonies, and peo-ple in the witness protection pro-

gram can appeal to prohibit any type of recording device in the courtroom. In addition, smaller cases are not expected to be cov-ered by the news media.

Domestic law

What: Pre-Law Day When: March 31

Pre-Law Day takes place at the Illinois College of Law. Students are able to gain valuable information about what law school is really like. Students are able to explore the Illinois College of Law and speak to faculty and students about their own experiences.

What: John Marshall Chicago Law School Trip When: March 9

Pre-Law Club will be taking a trip to John Marshall Law School in Chicago. There will be a mini open house, complete with a tour of the law school, lunch, and a mock law class. We will have left over time to spend in the city.

What: Pre-Professional Barn Dance When: TBA A barn dance is in the works for Pre-Law Club! We are working on collaborating with a host of other pre-professional organizations. Look out for details ahead

Photo Courtesy of http://www.judithleidl.com/

“Knox’s Parents Face Legal Problems”: 1. Battiste, Nikki and Newcomb, Alyssa . (2012, January 24). Amanda Knox 'Loves Italy' and May Go Back. ABC News, Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/International/amanda-knox-love-italy-return/story?id=15429853 2. Battiste, Nikki and Wise, Ann. (2010, November 8). Amanda Knox Indicted for a Second Time by Italian Court. ABC News, Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/International/amanda-knox-indicted-slander-italian-court/story?

International law

ist, but if necessary she will return to testify in the trials against her parents." Knox is expected to be the sole witness for the defense of her parents, whose trial will begin in Perugia on March 30. Dalla Vedova told ABC News regarding Knox’s parents, "I hope they will be acquitted. They cer-tainly didn't make any defamato-ry remarks when they repeated Amanda's statement to the press."

Amanda Knox’s own charges stem from when she tes-tified in her defense that the police “yelled at her, denied her a lawyer and cuffed her on the back of the head several times during a marathon interro-gation.” Despite the nearly four years Knox spent in an Italian prison, she recently said she still enjoys the country of Italy and would like to return. Carlo Dalla Vedova, one of Knox's lawyers, said Knox "loves Italy and likes Perugia." She also stated that Knox would like to return to Italy "as a tour-

Photo Courtesy of CBS News

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The parents of recently freed American student Amanda Knox are now facing legal troubles in Italy. Knox, who was previously acquitted of murdering her roommate in Oct. 2011, has since returned to the United States. She faced slander charges against the Italian Police back in Nov. 2010. A hearing on the charges is set for July. Her parents, Curt Knox and Edda Mellas, are also facing the same charge. The former couple could face up to three years in prison for an interview that was given to London’s Sun-day Times in 2009. In the interview, Curt Knox told the paper, "Amanda was abused physically and verbal-ly. She told us she was hit in the back of the head by a police officer with an open hand, at least twice. The police told her, “If you ask for a lawyer, things will get worse for you” and “If you don't give us some explana-tion for what happened, you're going to go to jail for a very long time.” Mellas also told the paper her daughter was told by the po-lice she would never see her family again.

Knox’s Parents Face Legal Problems By Christopher Lowery

“EU Levies Further Sanctions Against Iran”: “Iran: EU oil sanctions 'unfair' and 'doomed to fail'” 2012 (BBC News). “PM, Merkel, Sarkozy: We call on Iran to suspend nuclear activities and abide by international obligations. ” 2012 (Number 10– The Official Site of the British Prime Minister’s Office). “Council conclusions on Iran” 2012 (OYEZ). “Supreme Court of the United States” 2011 (Consilium Europa).

international law

dent Nicolas Sarkozy and Ger-man Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted in a statement that the EU has no issue with the Iranian people. They stated that the sanc-tions are designed to put pressure on Iranian leadership to “suspend its sensitive nuclear activities and abide fully by its international obligations.” The statement urges Iranian leaders “to engage in seri-ous and meaningful negotiations about its nuclear program.” The EU’s sanctions are supported by both the United States and the United Nations, both of which have already placed sanctions against the Iranian oil sector in protest of their nuclear program. Iran has threatened to re-taliate by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, where an estimated 20% of the world's oil exports pass. The United States has countered by saying it will not allow Iran to close the route, leaving the dis-tinct possibility of a conflict in an area of the world where tensions have been rising for years. Mean-while, European oil prices are already rising because of the em-bargo, a seemingly small price to pay to limit Iran’s nuclear mili-tary capabilities.

Iran fully cooperates with both the UNSC and IAEA. It is estimated that the EU imports approximately 20% of all Iranian petroleum products. This figure is considered to be a significant enough portion of Iran’s oil exports to severely cripple, though not necessarily topple, the Iranian economy. The embargo also ex-tends beyond oil products. It commits additional restrictions in “the financial sector, including against the Central Bank of Iran, in the transport sector … nota-bly on gold and on sensitive dual-use goods and technology.” Such dual-use goods and tech-nology refer to items that can be used in times of peace, but can also be used to propel war ef-forts. Thus, the EC believes that the sanctions will help the sides avoid violent conflict and find a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. British Prime Minister David Cameron, French Presi-

Photo Courtesy of presstv.com

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The European Union (EU) announced on January 23, 2012 an official Union-wide embargo on the import, purchase and transport of all Iranian crude oil and petroleum products. This ac-tion was in response to Iran’s ac-celeration of uranium enrichment in an underground nuclear facility in Fordow, near Qom, Iran. Ac-cording to the announcement, no new contracts can be created and all existing contracts within the EU will be terminated by July 1. The EU press release cites the Iranian’s continued refusal to cooperate with international obli-gations in accordance with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has ad-dressed concerns over Iran’s nu-clear program. The European Council (EC) has reiterated previ-ous concerns over Iran’s develop-ment of military nuclear technolo-gy, reporting uranium enrichment levels of up to 20%—a level deemed high enough to develop nuclear weapons. The EC states that the enrichment activities are in flagrant violation of six United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and eleven IAEA resolutions against the Iranian nuclear pro-gram. The embargo will last until

EU Levies Further Sanctions Against

Iran By Matt Fishman

international law

ready begun against the captain and Carnival, the American par-ent company of Costa Cruises. Lawyers are flocking in from all over the world, asking Italian companies such as consumer company Codacons to direct po-tential clients in their directions. According to Reuters, lawyers claim that they want to announce cases in order to reach out and “inform clients of their rights.” The disaster is still under investigation, and litigation has yet to start for any lawsuits for the captain.

passengers were rescued, the Italian Coast Guard and cave di-vers went in and tried to rescue as many passengers as they could. Numerous individuals were pulled out and 32 bodies were identified. No passengers or crew members are still reported missing. In the meantime, authori-ties have arrested Captain Schet-tino for manslaughter. There has been outrage over reports of his conversation with the Italian Coast Guard that places him in what may have been one of the first lifeboats launched. In the recorded radio discussion, the Coast Guard captain berates Schettino for not staying with his passengers that were still trapped on the sinking ship. Many lawsuits have al-

Photo Courtesy of csmonitor.com

On Friday, January 13, 2012 the world turned on the news and watched a disaster reminiscent of the sinking of the Titanic, nearly a century after the historic liner’s tragedy. The Costa Concordia hit a reef only hours into its Mediterranean cruise with 4,200 passengers on board. According to reports by BBC, Captain Francesco Schet-tino diverted from the correct route towards the Italian island of Giglio Porto, hitting a reef that contained large and damaging rocks. A 98 foot (30 meter) hole was torn into the hull, which was made of pure steel. The gargantu-an tear, with boulders still pro-truding from it, became complete-ly visible from the side of the ship still above water. In the ongoing investigation, authorities have discovered numerous pieces of amateur video to piece together the havoc that killed over 32 peo-ple from at least six different countries. Because the liner was only in its first few hours of its voyage, the passengers and most of the crew had very little knowledge of the ship’s crisis protocol. When the lifeboats were finally launched and most of the

Consequences of 21st Century

Titanic By Gwendalyn Lavigne

“Consequences of 21st Century Titanic”: 1. BBC . (2012, January 24). Consta Concordia. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/news/costa_concordia 2. Hals, Tom and Longstreth, Andrew. (2012 January 30). Lawyers Jump Into Cruise Ship Disaster Cases. ABC News, Retrieved from http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/01/30/233126.htm id=12084612#.Tx73GnKwUq8

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On January 18th, everyone encountered a strange occurrence, in which they could not search on Wikipedia. To be more exact, they could search; however, their topic would pop up for a second or two and then switch to a screen informing them that for the day, Wikipedia was protesting the SOPA Bill. It advised them of several links if they wanted more information. Having never heard of the SOPA Bill, I was thoroughly confused and a little annoyed that my quick-use search engine just stopped working for the day. Regardless, I delved into what this bill entailed and whether it was a real threat to taking down some of the biggest internet companies that I knew. As it turns out, there are two such movements going around in congress. The first is indeed the SOPA Bill in the House of Representatives. The Stop Online Piracy Act concerns national piracy issues. Its intent is to protect music publishers, moviemakers and anyone else at risk for copyright infringements. The other bill is the Protect IP Act (also known as PIPA) in the Senate, which targets foreign websites. Supporters of both of these bills include The Motion Picture Association of America, U.S. Chamber of

The opinions page

Commerce, and The Walt Disney Company. If this bill was put into effect, those who hold copyrights would file a court order against violators. Depending on whether the court order is granted, it would immediately allow them to shut down websites and even receive compensation. The case would never even see the inside of a courtroom. As for internet users who type in the violator’s URL, an error message would pop up as if that website never existed. Giving individuals rights to their intellectual property seems like something everyone could agree to; however, with the internet being so vast, how can anyone begin regulating it?

The Fine Line of Intellectual Property and the Internet

Photo Courtesy of Hitwise Intelligence

By Becky Bradshaw

10

There are pages of pirated content and borderline pirated content on the internet. Is it a possible task to regulate all areas of the internet and issue fines? In addition, what is the exact definition of pirated content? There is gray in certain situations. Who will objectively decide if that gray area represents pirated content? On the other hand, the artists who work hard deserve credit and payment for their work. Intellectual property needs careful treading and inspection. The question remains to be decided: are SOPA and the PIPA bills going too far or just taking the law where it should have been years ago?

“The Fine Line of Intellectual Property and the Internet”: 1. Murray, James . (2012, January 19). Wikipedia Blackout sends info junkies to mobile website. Hitwise Intelligence, Retrieved from http://weblogs.hitwise.com/james-murray/2012/01/wikipedia_blackout_sends_info.htmlid=12084612#.Tx73GnKwUq8

Americans will be able to watch one account of the 2008 presidential race on the small screen in March. Game Change, based on the best-selling book with the same name, documents the decision and debut of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin into the race between the 2008 nominees. Julianne Moore will be stepping into the heels of the former Alaska governor, while Ed Harris portrays U.S. senator and navy hero, John McCain, R-Ariz. Set to premiere on HBO, the television movie explores the behind the scenes relationship between Palin, McCain, and his team of advisors. Woody Harrelson also co-stars as McCain’s strategist and advisor, Steve Schmidt. The film has already garnered flack as an “anti-Palin propaganda piece,” but the network has promised a non-partisan account of the election. HBO has released two trailers for the film as of the beginning of February. The first one shows McCain’s decision to create a “dynamic moment in the campaign” in an attempt to beat then U.S. Senator Barack Obama, while revealing the stress the campaign placed on

“Game Change Reveals Backstage Tensions During 2008 Election”: “'Game Change': Sarah Palin on the verge of a nervous breakdown" 2012 (LA Times). "‘Game Change’ trailer released by HBO; Julianne Moore plays Sarah Palin in film derided by right" 2012 (NY Daily News). "McCain will not watch 'Game Change'" 2012 (NY Daily News). "

Palin. In the second trailer, a winking Palin tells Schmidt, “I have to win this thing. I so don’t want to go back to Alaska.” The film is based on the third section of the novel, Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, by political journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. The pair conducted more than 300 interviews with campaign insiders for the novel. The film adaptation focuses on McCain and Palin, leaving out other sections detailing the turbulent relationship between Obama and the Clintons and the John Edwards affair scandal.

Game Change Reveals Backstage Tensions During

2008 Election

Despite the high anticipation for the film, the real-life McCain vowed not to watch it. "It'll be a cold day in Gila Bend, Arizona, when I watch that movie," McCain told CNBC. Similarly, the real-life Palin is disregarding the film's depiction of her. "I think I’ll just grit my teeth and bear whatever comes with that movie," she said to Sean Hannity in March 2011. Jay Roach, who previously directed the HBO film Recount, detailing the 2000 presidential election, is directing this film that is set to premiere March 10th on HBO at 9 p.m.

Entertainment

By Christopher Lowery

11

Photo Courtesy of People.com Julianne Moore dressed as Sarah Palin for her new movie role.

Photo courtesy of Variety

Entertainment

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Entertainment

Sudoku: Can You Solve This Logic Puzzle?

Courtesy of websudoku.com

Cartoon Lawyers

Lionel Hutz from The Simpsons Mr. Burns’ Lawyer from The Simpsons

Photos Courtesy of http://calawreport.com/2010/10/top-7-greatest-cartoon-lawyers-of-all-time/